Media Report
April 3, 2012Hospice of Michigan pilot program expands services to patients in last two years of life
http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2012/04/hospice_of_michigan_pilot_prog.html
Hospice of Michigan has tested a home care program for patients who have an advanced illness -- but aren’t ready for hospice care – and found it cut costs and reduced hospital visits. The @HOME Support Program provides comprehensive support and services to patients in the last 24 months of life. It is run separately from the organization’s hospice services, which are geared toward patients with a life expectancy of six months or less. A three-year pilot study funded by a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation was conducted in Detroit by Hospice of Michigan’s Maggie Allese Center for Quality of Life and Wayne State University’s School of Social Work. It found at-home care costs rose, but overall costs went down because of reductions in emergency room visits and outpatient and inpatient care. Costs for one group of patients decreased by more than $3,000 a month, a 36 percent drop.
Hospice of Michigan has tested a home care program for patients who have an advanced illness -- but aren’t ready for hospice care – and found it cut costs and reduced hospital visits. The @HOME Support Program provides comprehensive support and services to patients in the last 24 months of life. It is run separately from the organization’s hospice services, which are geared toward patients with a life expectancy of six months or less. A three-year pilot study funded by a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation was conducted in Detroit by Hospice of Michigan’s Maggie Allese Center for Quality of Life and Wayne State University’s School of Social Work. It found at-home care costs rose, but overall costs went down because of reductions in emergency room visits and outpatient and inpatient care. Costs for one group of patients decreased by more than $3,000 a month, a 36 percent drop.
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